


Strawberry's Story

by flynnaw00



Series: Into The Twoieverse One Shots [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, please heed the trigger warnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26072434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flynnaw00/pseuds/flynnaw00
Summary: This is a fic that will probably only make sense to people who follow sutimetravelau on tumblr, but it's probably easy to get into anyways because of how this story is set up.How Steven lost his voice.
Series: Into The Twoieverse One Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1705696
Comments: 42
Kudos: 94





	1. The Return

**Author's Note:**

> //first chapter tw: choking, violence towards children, garnet gets split in half or w/e, and steven has some sad thoughts

Steven’s world felt like it was falling apart.

The gems were alien invaders, just trying to make up for their mistakes. His  _ mother _ was an alien invader-- they almost ruined the planet and then fought in a war that killed gems and  _ people _ .

His father’s words still rung in his mind:  _ ‘In the end, your mother could only save a handful of her closest friends. If it weren’t for her shield-- man, I don’t know.’ _

So here he was, racing towards the Crystal Gems on Lion, his mother’s gem and her shield in tow. He was scared, absolutely  _ terrified _ , but he had to do this. Garnet said herself that this was his  _ destiny _ . Keeping them together and safe was what he was  _ made _ for. He couldn’t disappoint them. 

Lion roared and jumped through his portal, taking Steven directly to the beach. His vision was overtaken with a bright green light, and he saw the gems awash in it. Opal tried to fire at the enemy ship, but it did nothing to it. Steven puffed out his chest, determined.

He hopped off Lion and gave him a pat. “Stay here. If something happens: Dad will need a new son.”

He rushed towards the gems and called out. “Hey, guys!”

The gems turned around, in shock. Opal split, with Amethyst and Pearl landing on the beach.

“You came back!” Amethyst said, voice cracking with joy.

“What are you doing!?” Pearl yelled. “Get out of here!”

Steven frowned. “But…”

“It’s too late!” Garnet announced. “Just stay behind us!”

They all got up, facing the ship that landed down on their beach. Steven stood behind them, trembling.

The hand unfolded, kicking up a massive sand cloud. Then, from the ship, a green ball rose. It rolled down the index finger, making it drop with a loud  _ thud _ on the beach, and revealed three gems: Peridot, an orange one (who he supposed was called Jasper), and…

Steven gasped. 

“Lapis…”

“This is their base?” Jasper asked, giving a condescending side-eye to Lapis.

“Yes…” Lapis mumbled, looking away from Steven.

“YOU NEED TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!” Garnet commanded. 

“YEAH, STEP OFF!” Amethyst snarled.

“This is not a gem controlled planet!” Pearl said.

Jasper ignored them, hopping down from the finger with the rest of the gems. She looked to Peridot. 

“Neither of you saw Rose Quartz? Oh, what a shame. I hoped to meet her. I was looking forward to  _ beating _ her into the  _ ground! _ ”

Steven shuddered.

“But this is all that’s left of her army?” Jasper asked. “Some lost,  _ defective _ , Pearl? A puny, overcooked, runt? And  _ this _ shameless display?” She gestured to Garnet.

She saw Steven. “Hm. What is  _ that _ ?”

Steven gasped, backing up a bit. The gems readied their weapons.

“It calls itself ‘the Steven’.” Peridot answered.

“He’s just a human!” Lapis intoned desperately. “He isn’t a threat at all! He-he’s not one of them!”

“I  _ know _ what a human is.” Jasper sneered, turning on her heel and waving a hand dismissively towards the Crystal Gems. “You don’t need me for this. Just blast them with the ship.”

Peridot groaned and conjured a screen between her robotic fingertips. “Fine.”

The ship creaked, floating off of the beach and moving into a finger gun position. The gem's eyes went wide and they stepped back in shock. Steven felt sick to his stomach, finding it hard to even stand up anymore. 

The end of the index finger lit up into a ball of energy, readying itself. Garnet grit her teeth and faced Steven.

“Steven, get out of here!”

Steven glared at her. How could she say that at a time like this!? “N-no!”

“I won’t let you risk your life!” Garnet shouted.

“B-but this is  _ my  _ home!” Steven cried.  _ “And you’re all my family!” _

His gem began to glow, buzzing with protective energy. Steven gasped, glancing down at it. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

The energy gathered up, spiking then firing at them. Pearl and Amethyst braced for impact, while Garnet looked away, visor shining. Steven ran out in front of them, baring his stomach towards the blast and screaming out: 

**_“I’m a Crystal Gem, too!”_ **

His shield summoned, the blast hitting it at full force. He cried out as it clanged against his shield, making his whole body jitter with adrenaline. 

He dropped to his knees after the dust had settled, leaning against his shield. 

Slowly, the shield dissipated, and his energy along with it. He grunted, falling face-first in the sand.

_ He did it… _ He thought.  _ He saved them… he saved the gems, just like his mother… _

Before he could get his bearings, he felt Garnet yanking him away from another blast.  Steven was thrown back onto the dirt, the dust clearing as he squinted at the tall gem that stood before him.

“Rose, why do you look like that?” She sneered. “Why are you so  _ weak _ ?”

“Don’t hurt him!” Lapis pleaded, grabbing onto Jasper’s arm. 

Jasper narrowed her eyes at Lapis, before they widened with realization. “You  _ knew _ about this!”

“It wasn’t relevant to the mission!” Lapis explained desperately.

“Forget about the mission!” Jasper barked.

“What!?” Peridot gaped.

“Yellow Diamond has to see this…  _ thing _ .” Jasper said, glaring down at Steven.

Steven gulped, shrinking back. “Uh… um…”

He felt the sand move behind him, then suddenly Garnet was charging forward, slamming her gauntlet into Jasper. Jasper blocked it with her helmet, causing the ground around them to kick up from the impact. Steven flew back into the sand, coughing and rubbing at his eyes. 

“Steven, run!” Garnet commanded, going in for another hit. 

Jasper whipped out a rod, electricity buzzing through it.

“Priming Gem Destabilizer.” She muttered grimly, smirking at Garnet as she charged forward. Jasper slammed the rod into Garnet’s mid-section, causing electricity to burst and crackle out of her form. Steven could only watch in silent horror as Garnet’s form began to crack apart. Her arms split from their sockets, leaving yellow bases on the inside. 

As if in slow motion, she tilted her head back, her eyes full of terror: terror Steven had never seen before. 

Her eyes glazed over, and she split in half.

Steven felt like he was going to throw up. 

“I was there, you know.” Jasper said, towering over Steven. “At the first war for this…”

She kept talking, but Steven couldn’t hear her. His mind was racing a mile a minute. He glanced behind him, seeing Amethyst and Pearl’s gems in the sand, too. They must’ve gotten taken out by the blast.

It was just him, now.

He  _ failed _ .

Tears sprang to his eyes as adrenaline kicked up in his veins. He needed to do something, he needed to _fight_ _back_.

He got up, sprinting for Pearl and Amethyst.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Jasper snarled, grabbing him around the throat and yanking him up to her height. 

He choked, clawing at her hand as he struggled for air. Nothing came in, or out, and Jasper’s grip only got stronger.   
  
"I don't get what you're planning, Rose."  
  
Steven gagged and coughed, tears springing to his eyes as death slowly danced in the edges of his vision.  
  
"But look: your base is taken, your armies _ruined_."  
  
He went limp, heart skipping a beat as a wash of  _ utter dread _ overtook him.

"You. have _failed_." 

_ Looks like Dad was going to need a new son after all-- _

He passed out.


	2. Jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven tries to escape from space prison. Jasper tries to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG TRIGGER WARNING FOR BLOOD, VIOLENCE, LOSS OF VOICE, TRAUMA, ETC... PLEASE HEED THIS WARNING. THIS CHAPTER IS WHY THERE'S THE "GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE" AT THE TOP BRO
> 
> also... i'm sorry if this comes off as excessive? I've double and triple checked with people to make sure this isn't, like, WAYYY over doing it and everytime it's been heavy, but fine. So ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Steven’s eyes slowly opened, blinking himself back into consciousness as a steady stream of air came in and out of his lungs, no longer restricted. His throat burned every time he breathed, though, and Steven still felt as if her hand was on his throat. That pressure startled him awake, making him grasp at his neck as he looked around in a panic.

Nobody was around.

He sighed in relief, wincing as that action made his throat hurt. He gulped, trying to moisten his throat, but it wasn’t enough. He  _ really _ needed water…

Slowly, his mind focused on the other pressing issues at hand: his family, and the fact he was on an alien ship. 

His eyes widened.  _ Where were they? _

He glanced through the yellow forcefield to his right, aweing at the interior. 

It was a green hallway, everything shiny and new. There were many cells around him, and he swore he could hear groaning close by. On the ceiling were tubes, carrying some sort of yellow energy: like the kind that destabilized Garnet.

He winced at that memory, trying to focus instead on how to get out of this place.

He glanced at the yellow field before him once again, curiously putting out his fingers to touch it. He flinched as it gave him a small zap, but not a painful one. Then, timidly, he put out a finger into the field. It tingled a bit, and the yellow of the field slowly traveled up his arm in a pattern similar to a circuit board. He ‘ooh’ed, and then pushed himself through the field.  


He smiled. _He was out!_

He began to run to his right, trying to find the rest of the gems. He only got a cell over before he skidded to a halt, finding a small, red, gem curled up by her cell wall, muttering angrily to herself. 

He opened his mouth to to try and speak to the gem, but his throat only burned in response, shooting searing pain through him. He whimpered and held his throat again, as if that would make it better.

He needed to get her attention some other way…

He touched the shield, making it buzz loudly and warble. The red gem gasped and scrambled back against the wall, eyes wide, before she narrowed them and grit her teeth.

She slammed her fist into the wall, shouting out in anger. 

“GREAT! THIS IS JUST  _ PERFECT _ !” 

Steven was knocked on his ass by her hitting the wall, and sat there, shaking. This new gem was  _ loud…  _ he didn’t need any more stress after what just happened--

He whimpered again, wrapping his arms around himself. He felt like he was gonna puke…

The red gem stared at him, relaxing a bit. “Um… are you okay?”

Steven stared at her, then slowly shook his head. 

The red gem frowned, expression softening.

“I’m sorry I yelled…” She said, crawling forward to the shield. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

Steven didn’t say anything.   


The red gem furrowed her brows.

“Are you listening to me?”

Steven nodded.

“Hm.” The red gem sat back. “... Wait! You’re out! How did you get past the field?”

Steven reached out a hand.

“Wait!” She warned as he touched it. She went silent when his hand went through.

“It’s… okay?” She wondered, reaching out her own hand, it shocked her, and she winced, shaking her hand off. 

“What’s going on…?” She muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a beautiful voice, harmonizing into a wordless song, wafted through the halls. Steven turned, searching for the source in confusion.

“Sapphire!” The red gem exclaimed. Steven looked back at her, his nerves sparking in panic at her raised voice. He held a finger to his lips, looking around before glancing back at her and tilting his head: trying to ask who Sapphire was.

“Let me outta here!” The gem said. “Please, I need to find Sapphire!”

Steven nodded, stepping into the force field and using his invulnerability as a way to ‘lift’ it for her. She slid under his hands and ran out, charging ahead. Steven panicked, trying to run after her. He wanted to call out, but his burning throat wouldn’t let him. 

He followed her into another hallway, where she gripped her head and muttered something about not being able to see. It confused Steven, but he couldn’t exactly question her. She glanced around before announcing “this way!” and ran. He followed.   


They halted by a window, and the voice stopped. The red gem gasped. “She stopped singing.” then, she called out, too loudly in Steven’s opinion: **_“SAPPHIRE!!!”_ **

Steven made a few upset noises, trying to shush her with his hands. She just brushed him off and kept moving. He sighed, running after her.

They came down a hall with a single cell at the end of it. The red gem gasped in delight, then frowned. “Oh, it’s just you.”

Steven peered around her and beamed. It was Lapis!!!

He ran up to her cell while the red gem was pacing around, muttering to herself. Lapis turned, staring at him.

He waved at her and tried to speak again, only resulting in more pain. He groaned and resorted to just hand signals. She didn’t seem to understand.

“Steven, what are you doing out of your cell…?”

Steven bit his lip, then decided he probably couldn’t answer that with his charades. He moved to touch the force field. 

“STOP!” She shouted. “I DON’T WANT YOUR HELP! Things are bad enough as it is, I’ve already made too much trouble… Once we get back to Homeworld, they’re going to decide what to do with us.”

**_“RRRRAGH!!!”_ ** Ruby groaned loudly. “I DON’T HAVE  _ TIME  _ FOR THIS!”

She stormed off. Steven whimpered, wanting to call her back over. 

“Steven, whatever you’re doing, just stop! If we do everything they say, they might go easy on us!”

Steven shook his head.

Lapis sighed. “Steven… Please.”

Steven shook his head harder. He tried to gesture that she should come with him. She stared at him in confusion.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” She asked. 

Steven groaned and pointed to his throat, trying to convey that it was sore. She gasped, eyes going wide in horror. He furrowed his brows-- why did she look  _ that  _ alarmed?

“Oh my stars.” Lapis quavered, staring intently at his throat. “Did Jasper do that to you?”

He tilted his head.

Lapis gulped. “There’s a _massive_ **handprint** on your neck, Steven.”

Steven felt his blood go cold.

“...”

He reached up and touched his neck, tracing the pressure points. Sure enough, it was in the shape of a handprint, embedded into his skin. He whimpered. This was worse than he thought…

“We can’t fight back.” Lapis said. “Just go back to your cell. I-- I don’t wanna see you hurt again.”

Steven thought it over, then shook his head. He needed to get back to Beach City.

Lapis sighed, then curled up, turning away from him. Steven bit his lip and walked into her cell, despite her alarmed look. 

“Steven, seriously, get out--” Steven pressed a finger to her lips. He kneeled down, and hugged her tight.

She blinked.

“... What… are you doing?”

He squeezed her then pulled back.

He pointed to himself.

Then made a heart with his hands.

Then pointed to her.

She frowned. “I don’t understand…”

Steven sighed and got up, gesturing for her to follow.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered. “I’m not leaving.”

Steven nodded reluctantly, and left.

He raced down some halls, letting ‘Sapphire’’s voice guide him. He came down a hall, seeing her, then gasped as he heard a door open. He pressed himself against the wall, hiding.

“We can’t leave yet!” Peridot protested as she and Jasper passed by his hall. He shook, staring at Jasper. He felt like his legs were frozen in place. 

Jasper and Peridot walked up to Sapphire’s cell, Jasper glaring down at the small blue gem with hatred in her eyes.

“The whole point of coming here was to check on the Cluster!” Peridot said. Jasper roared and slammed her fist into the wall, snarling at the Sapphire.

**_“STOP SINGING!”_ **

Steven gasped and whimpered, still in his spot on the left side of the wall. Jasper whirled on Peridot, sternly commanding her. 

“Rose Quartz takes priority.” She said. “Get back to the bridge, and set a…”

Jasper trailed off, locking eyes with Steven.

Steven paled.

He couldn’t move. 

Jasper narrowed her eyes, stalking towards him. His throat felt like it was on fire, and his legs felt like they were frozen. He could only stare as his demise came closer, grabbing him around the neck again. Immediately, his eyes went wide, filling with tears, as he went limp.

“Steven!” Sapphire called. “Put him down!”

“So you escaped, huh?” Jasper asked, ignoring Steven’s lack of breath. “I guess I’ll just have to throw you back in myself.”

She released his neck, and caught onto his shirt next. Steven gasped for air, his eyes, lungs, and throat all burning as he was dragged away from the screaming Sapphire. Adrenaline filled him, then despite all the pain, he began to scream.

**_“AMETHYST! PEA--RL-- G--AR-NET!!!”_ ** He choked out, voice breaking and getting even more messed up as he cried. “ **_A--METHYST! PEA--R.. G--AR-NE..!!!”_ **

“BE QUIET!” Jasper ordered, yanking him up from the floor and slamming him into a wall. He made a noise like a kicked puppy and fell to the ground, his skull thudding like it had been broken. 

“Amethyst… please… anyone…” He whispered. “Lapis? Pearl?”

“I SAID BE  **_QUIET_ ** !” She snarled, kicking him in the face. His nose broke, blood spurting out of it before it healed itself. He coughed, a few droplets getting into his mouth. He looked up at her, trembling. 

He didn’t yell out this time.

She smiled. “Good. Heh, can’t believe you’re taking orders from  _ me _ , now, Rose…”   


She walked up to his cell, staring at the force field. She narrowed her eyes and hummed. “You’ll be much easier to deal with when poofed.”

She tossed him into the force field. He passed right through, hitting against the wall. 

She gasped. “You-- how!?”

She pressed a button, dispelling the force field and walking in. He stared up at her, panic filling his veins and telling him to  _ run _ .  He scrambled away, screaming out despite his burning throat. 

**_“AME--T-YS! GARN--! P--EARL! ‘APIS!? SAPP-IRE!??! ANYONE, PLEA--”_ **

He was hurled into the wall, cracking a few of his bones, making the pain thud even harder in his brain.

**_“BE QUIET!”_ ** Jasper screamed, throwing Steven into the floor, making a dent in the shiny metal. She stomped on his back, cracking it. “If the shield can’t poof you, then  **_I_ ** will!”

He tried to scream again.

His body wouldn’t let him.

_ He couldn’t speak. _

She kicked him, sliding him all the way across the hall until he smacked into another hard surface. His head felt like it was split in two--

He didn’t have time to think before she picked him up again, punching him in the face. He coughed.

He was hit.

Again.

And again.

And again…

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t move. His body kept screaming at him to  _ run _ but he couldn’t even  _ walk _ . Tears streamed down his face, body limp, on the verge of passing out before she finally dropped him to the floor.

“Fine. You’re pretty resilient, huh? No matter, there’s always a sure-fire way of poofing somebody.”

She grabbed his gem.

“Even if it is a little barbaric.”

It was gone.

He blacked out.

\----

Steven’s eyes slowly opened, and then shut again. He heard nothing, which was unsettling, but also very calming.

He felt tired.

Very tired.

Whoever was holding him readjusted their grip. He squinted up at the person, already starting to panic before he saw his own face staring back at him. A million questions ran through his mind:  _ Who are you? What happened? Am I dead? Are we on Homeworld? What’s going on? _

He couldn’t ask a single one.

The pink him hugged him close to his chest, shutting his eyes. “You are safe now, Steven.” He murmured, then Steven felt a warm, safe, light encompass him.

He stood up, now fully himself, covered in bruises and blood. He glanced down at his gem, which was now back in his body somehow?

_ Mom _ ? His mind asked.

No response.

He looked out before him and saw Jasper’s gem laying on the floor, along with Peridot’s.

He dropped down to his knees, bubbling them both and sending them away in a daze. 

The adrenaline that had been filling his body slowly came to a halt. He wobbled, falling to his side and laying down, breathing shallowly. He felt like his whole body had been split apart, then put back together again-- over and over and over…

He struggled to keep his eyes open, to stay aware… just in case anything else happened. What if there were more gems out to get him? More people that would… would hurt him again?

He sobbed, his emotions also catching up with him.

…

A few minutes later, he heard a voice.

“Steven?”

He opened his eyes, and joy rushed through him when he saw Garnet.

Garnet ran over, kneeling beside him and glancing around. She paled, seeing the blood and dents, then seeing how fucked up  _ he _ was.

“... Steven, wh--” She gulped. “Tell me what happened to you.”

Steven frowned. He wished he could.

“Steven?” Garnet said, hesitantly, waving a hand in front of his face.

He reached out and held it, showing he was here. He looked at her and gave her a smile.

Garnet gently picked him up, holding him close.

“Tell me why you aren’t talking to me, Steven. Please.” She said.

He sighed and craned his neck up. She froze, her feet forming ice below her.

“...”

She breathed out shakily and glanced back around at the halls.

“N-nod if Jasper is still here.”

He shook his head.

Garnet sighed in relief. “And nod if Peridot is here.”

He shook his head again.

She held him close, kissing his forehead gently. “I am so sorry I wasn’t able to protect you… we’re going home, Steven. Promise. You’re safe now.”

Steven hoped that was true.

He shut his eyes.

\----

He woke up in Garnet’s lap. Pearl and Amethyst were at the controls, steadily returning to Earth. Steven groaned.

Amethyst looked over and gasped. “Steven! You’re awake!” 

She reached to hug him. Garnet held up a hand.

“He’s fragile.”

Amethyst nodded, lowering her arms and looking at him with concern and sorrow. Pearl looked guilty.

Steven glanced around, seeing if the red gem or Sapphire were around.

They weren’t.

He frowned and got up.

“Where ‘ya going, Steven?” Amethyst asked.

Steven turned to her and lifted his shirt, pointing at his gem. He then pulled his bangs over his eyes, then acted like he had a headband around his head.

They didn’t seem to get it.

He sighed, feeling like he was going to cry again.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Amethyst said. “Here, why don’t I come with you to wherever you need to go, okay? I’ll carry you.”   
  
She scooped him up and held him close. He smiled and pointed out the door, directing her.

They searched for a long time, but didn’t end up finding Sapphire or the red gem. He decided to just go to Lapis instead. She was still in her cell. She looked over and glared before her eyes widened at his state.

“Oh, no, Steven…” She whimpered. “You look  _ horrible _ .”

Steven got up and tried to walk into her force field.

“Nope!” Amethyst said, pulling him back. “Here.” She pressed a button, undoing the field.

“They’ll hurt you!” Lapis scolded Amethyst. “Stop this!”

“They?” Amethyst asked.

“Peridot and Jasper!”

“They’re gone, dude.”

Lapis gasped. “What?”

“I think Steven beat ‘em and bubbled ‘em.” Amethyst said, gesturing towards him. “See? Looks like a fight."

Lapis stared at him. “... Wow. S-so, where are we going?”

“Earth.” Amethyst answered. “C’mon, let’s head to the front. Steven wanted you there.”

Lapis nodded slowly, walking with them back to the cockpit. Garnet and Pearl glanced at her when she entered. She gave them an awkward smile, and Pearl returned it.

Steven sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Amethyst asked. “We found who you were looking for.”

He shook his head.

“Is there someone else on the ship?” Pearl asked. 

Steven nodded.

“Oh! What did they look like?” Amethyst asked.

Steven thought, then got up and pointed to the red on his shirt.

“They were… short like you?” Amethyst tried.

That wasn’t what Steven was trying to convey, but it was true, so he nodded. Amethyst smiled. “Okay, so short. What else?”

He pointed to his shirt, pulling out the fabric.

“Um…” She tilted her head.

Steven sighed. He pointed to his shirt again, then the blood on it, then one of Garnet’s red gems.

Garnet glanced at her gems. “... They were red.”

Steven nodded.

Garnet chuckled. “I believe you’re thinking about Ruby and Sapphire.”

Steven tilted his head. Ruby? Was that her name? If so, then he nodded.

Garnet smiled. “Steven. Ruby and Sapphire are right here.”

Steven tilted his head again.

Garnet showed him both of her hands. Two gems.

“Ruby.” She said, pointing to the gem on her right hand. 

“Sapphire.” She pointed to the gem on her left.

Steven gasped, taking her hands and staring at the two gems, back and forth. He beamed and hopped up and down.  _ Garnet was a fusion!!?!?! _

“I’m a fusion.” Garnet said, as if she could read his mind.

He made some excited noises and hopped some more. _That was so cool!!!_

Garnet chuckled and ruffled his hair. “You’re adorable, Steven.”

Steven pouted, then smiled again, crawling into her lap and grabbing her hands, looking at the gems.

Pearl chuckled fondly.

Before long, they were landing on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment i consume them for power


	3. Return to Sender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //tw for traumatic memories, blood, steven is still a little beat up, suffocation)

They landed on the beach, floating just above the sand, not damaging anything.

“Whew!” Amethyst exclaimed. “I can’t believe we did it! We didn’t even crash! Good job, Pearl!”

Pearl smiled. “Thank you, Amethyst.”

Lapis stared out the window, pulling on her skirt nervously. Steven glanced up at her and frowned, gently holding her hand. She blinked in surprise, then glanced down at him. She smiled nervously and held his hand back.

“Alright, time to go home.” Garnet said, getting up and heading out of the cockpit with everyone else.   


It was nearing night, the sky turning into many shades of red, purple, and pink. Everything was still, the tension of earlier gone now that he knew that he was safe. The waves crashed against the sand, kicking up sea foam and brushing lightly against his ankles. He shut his eyes and breathed in deep, finding comfort in  _ home _ .

“Sooo…” Amethyst said, interrupting the silence. “We won!”

“We did.” Pearl smiled. “All thanks to Steven.”   


She knelt down and hugged him. “I don’t know how you took out two gems all on your own, though… It must’ve been tough.”   


Steven shook his head, then pointed to his gem.

Pearl chuckled. “Ah, of course. Your mother's powers probably did come in handy…”

Steven sighed. He’d tell them later when his voice was healed. 

Just then, his cell phone rang. He picked up instinctively, holding the phone up to his ear before he immediately realized he couldn’t talk.

“Steven, I got your message. Are you okay? What’s going on?!”   
  
Steven frowned, unable to respond.

“Steven?” Connie asked. 

Steven put it on speaker phone then handed the phone to Pearl, who took it reluctantly. “Um… hello?”

“Pearl???” Connie asked. “Wh-- is Steven okay?”

“He’s alive, yes…” Pearl said, glancing over at Steven. “A little hurt-- He can’t speak right now. I think his throat got injured somehow…”

“He can’t speak? What do you mean?”

“He can’t speak. He’s  _ physically  _ unable to speak right now. So he handed the phone to me.”

“Oh my gosh…” Connie mumbled.

Steven let his gaze wander. He looked back to the temple, his home, the giant hand, and Lapis, who was far away from the group, summoning her wings.

He ran towards her, managing to grab her hand just in time before she took off. She gasped, staring down at him before relaxing. “Steven?”

Steven whined and tugged her back down gently, then tried to mime asking ‘where are you going?’ She seemed to understand.

“I’m gonna go somewhere else. I don’t wanna be near this town. Not when I’ve caused so much trouble…” She sighed, hugging herself. “I think I’m gonna stay on Earth, though, at least for a little while. I- I don’t wanna go back to Homeworld, y’know?”

Steven nodded. He tugged at her skirt and then tried to mime ‘will you come back?’. She didn’t get it. So he drew his question in the sand instead. Apparently, she couldn’t read English.

He buried his face in his hands, so frustrated he felt like he was going to cry. Lapis frowned and knelt down.

“Hey, hey, don’t be sad…” She comforted. “I’ll come back to see you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Steven’s face lit up and he nodded. He hugged her again and she tensed up before realizing that this was a  _ good _ gesture. She hugged back anxiously, then stood up.

“Alright. See ‘ya later, Steven.” 

She turned and flapped her wings, flying off into the night sky, free as can be. Steven waved, sad to see her go, but happy that she could find a better life here on Earth and visit him when she wanted to. That would be nice.

He walked back over to the gems. Pearl was still talking to a very anxious Connie, and Amethyst and Garnet were just sitting around talking about what to do with the giant hand ship they now had.

Steven walked up to Pearl, sitting beside her to listen in on her conversation. Whatever she was saying got cut off abruptly though by a loud car horn storming into the scene. 

Greg pulled up, his van screeching to a halt as he climbed out.

“What’s going on? Is everybody okay!?”

Steven beamed, getting up and immediately tackling his dad in a hug, despite how much it hurt. His dad hugged him back and sighed in relief. 

“Oh, thank goodness… I saw the ship start coming down and- and I thought that maybe they were coming back to take more of us, and I weren’t gonna let them take  _ you _ , so--”

He pulled back from the hug, and caught sight of the shape Steven was in. His smile dropped immediately. “Whoa- wh--”

He kneeled down. “Is that…  _ blood _ ?”

Steven frowned, nodding.

“...” Greg blinked, taking in more of his injuries. “Steven, are you okay?”

Steven shrugged, then gave the ‘kinda’ sign.

His father nodded slowly. “Steven, do you mind telling me what happened to you?”

Steven bit his lip. He shook his head sadly and pointed to his throat. Greg tilted his head. “What?”

He pointed at his throat more aggressively. Greg blinked a few times, then it seemed to dawn on him.

“Oh! Is your throat sore? Guess it must’ve been pretty dry up there…”

Steven shook his head and then groaned, lifting his head up high so his father could see the handprint on his neck. 

His father’s eyes went wide, horror reflecting in his pupils as he inspected him closer, as if staring at it more would reveal it to be a hallucination. His eyes began to search all over Steven, discovering more harrowing things that alluded to something terrifying to him. The blood, the scratches, the black eye, the  _ hand _ print on his throat. How he couldn’t even  _ speak _ anymore-- 

Steven frowned, dropping his head. He could see his father was beginning to freak out. He was sweating more, his lips were drawn into a fine line, and his eyes never stayed still until he stared his son dead in the eyes and asked:

“What happened to you?”

Steven sighed and pointed to his throat again.

Greg nodded grimly. “Okay. You can tell me later.”

Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet came onto the scene: Amethyst acting overly happy and rushing up to Steven.

“Yoooo, Ste-man! Y’know, since we won, I was thinking we should have a little par-tay~” She said, trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe in a few days once you’re healed--”   


“What happened to him?” Greg asked point-blank, glaring at the group and pulling Steven to his side. 

The mood dropped, along with everyone’s faces. Pearl looked away, expression guilt ridden. Amethyst glanced down, and Garnet adjusted her visor.

Greg grit his teeth and dug his nails into his palms, fists shaking.  _ “Tell. me. What happened. To my. Son.  _ **_Now.”_ **

“We don’t… really know.” Pearl admitted. “Garnet was the one who found him. Steven hasn’t been able to tell us anything, but Garnet  _ assumed _ he fought Jasper and Peridot-- two very strong enemy gems, and won.”

“Where were  _ you?” _ Greg asked, his tone not changing.

“Um.” Pearl bit her lip. “We were… in our prison cells. We couldn’t get out, and if we tried, we could have be poofed. Ruby was out and getting Sapphire at the time-- we couldn’t help him.”

“I ran as soon as I heard screaming.” Garnet said. “But, after a few moments, it went quiet. I couldn’t follow the screams anymore.”

Steven whined, covering his ears. He didn’t wanna think about it…

Greg glanced down at him. He grit his teeth and glared at the gems.

“Let’s talk about this inside. I’m sure Steven could use a drink of water.”

He walked up to the house, Steven in tow. The rest of the gems followed him, the air tense as they entered the dark house. Greg led Steven to the couch before going to the kitchen, getting a glass of water. 

Steven swung his legs idly, nervous. He’d never seen his dad so serious before…

His father gave him the water and sat beside him while Steven downed the whole thing, his throat _very_ happy to be nourished.   


“Here.” Pearl said, placing a pen and pad on the coffee table. “So you can still communicate.”

Steven gave Pearl an appreciative smile.

“Thanks.” Greg said curtly, still pissed.

Pearl backed off.

Steven frowned, giving his father a look. Greg softened at his expression and sighed.

“So, kiddo… you got anything to tell me?”

Steven thought, then wrote down a request.

_ ‘Can I have more water? Maybe some icecream?’ _

Greg smiled. “Of course you can.”

He got up and got what Steven needed, handing him both items. Steven smiled and began to eat and drink, getting his throat moistened so it didn’t burn as much, even though the pressure wasn’t subsiding. He grabbed the pen and paper again.

_ ‘I love you. <3’  _ He wrote.

Greg smiled sweetly and hugged him, kissing the top of his forehead. “I love you, too, Steven.”

Pearl came over with a damp washcloth, kneeling down. “Steven, do you mind if I clean you up a bit?”

Steven shook his head and presented her his face. She began to wipe off the smeared blood and bruises, occasionally stealing a glance at Greg, who still looked on disapprovingly. She bit her lip and sighed, trying to get rid of the stains on his shirt, too. They didn’t budge.

“Well, I suppose you should change…” Pearl said.

“Good idea.” Greg cut her off, standing up. “Let’s get you ready for bed, okay, Steven?”

Steven nodded. He smiled to himself, happy he got to have ice-cream for dinner.

The family went around the house, getting things for Steven, helping him get ready for bed, constantly tending to him. Steven felt a little pampered, and kinda annoyed sometimes. He was a big kid-- he could dress himself! Though, it  _ was _ kinda nice to be tucked in by his dad and given a goodnight kiss.

“I love you, Stchu-ball.” Greg said. “Now, get some good rest. We’re going to the hospital first thing in the morning.”

Steven’s eyes widened and he whimpered, burying under his covers.

“Hey, hey, no.” Greg said, pulling back the covers a bit. “I promise it’s not that scary, okay? They’re the ones who’ll help you feel better and be able to talk again!”

Steven thought about it for a moment then nodded. He definitely wanted to get back to normal as soon as he could.

Greg smiled and patted his head. “There we go. Sweet dreams, Stchu-ball.”

Steven opened his mouth, trying to say goodnight, too, but all that came out was a wheeze and a cough. Greg frowned.

“It’s okay. I know you love me, too.” He mumbled, sorrow laced in his voice. “You don’t gotta say it.”

He got up and left, meeting the gems outside. 

Steven sighed, rolling over and hugging his teddy bear close.

The house was quiet now.

He gulped, hunching up more, feeling like the silence was suffocating his body, while letting his thoughts run loose. Places he hadn't allowed his mind to wander to began to pop up in his head: the ship, the beach, the hand, Jasper beating him--

He whimpered, the mere noise enough to make his throat burn. No amount of ice-cream would be able to heal what she had done to him. That handprint on his throat made him feel like she was still here, in his bed, choking him to death while yelling at him to ‘SHUT UP’ and ‘BE QUIET’, lest she hurt him even more. Those words echoed in his mind, making him want to never speak again, for fear of being hurt like this a second time. 

His stream of bad thoughts didn't stop. What if he never spoke again? What if he never  _ sang _ again? He’d never be able to laugh with Connie, or joke with Amethyst, or sing with his father, or tell anyone  _ anything _ ! It wasn’t like there was a way to speak without using your voice or a paper!

His eyes stung with tears, streaking down his face and reminding him of the blood that was in their place moments earlier. He shot up, wiping furiously at his eyes and trying not to make any pained noises, lest he hurt his throat anymore (or make anyone angry)

_ “Are you KIDDING me!?” _

Steven flinched, heart rate quickening. He listened closer, hearing now that that shout came from his father. Were they arguing? Oh, no…

Steven got out of bed, listening in.

“Greg, we tried our best.” Garnet said.

“I  _ understand _ that, but it wasn’t good enough! He could've _died!"_

“Don’t you think we’re sad, too!?” Amethyst shot back.

“Of course you are! But--” Greg groaned loudly. “Listen, okay, I’ve made up my mind: Steven is coming back with me. I’m not allowing him anywhere  _ near _ this place for a while-- at least until he’s in a stable condition.”

“But this is his home!” Amethyst protested.

“It’s a DANGEROUS home!” Greg growled. “I can’t believe I ever let him come back to help you guys! He is a  _ child _ , he shouldn't be dealing with intergalactic  _ space _ wars and being almost choked to death!”

Greg sighed shakily. “I just don’t want him  _ hurt _ . I- I dunno what I would’ve done if he had gone to 'Homeworld' with you…”

Amethyst grit her teeth. “Yeah, well, how’re  _ you _ gonna protect him, huh!? If someones comes for him what will  _ you _ do!? You can’t protect him!”

“I’ll keep him away  _ from _ the danger! And even if he does get hurt, at least I’ll be there  _ with _ him.”

He sighed. 

“I knew this gem stuff was dangerous, but I can’t believe…”

“Steven should stay with us.” Pearl spoke up. “We need to help him with his gem side…”

“Steven can stay with Greg.” Garnet said.

“Wh-- Garnet!” Pearl and Amethyst protested.

“Greg is right.” Garnet continued. “We should have  _ been _ there for Steven. We promised to protect him, and we failed. Next time, we might not be so lucky.”

Silence fell over the group.

Greg sighed. “... Okay. I’m gonna bring my van around to the house and sleep here, if that’s alright.”

“Sure.” Garnet nodded.

Greg patted himself down for his keys and frowned. “Shoot. Must’ve left them inside…” 

He moved to go in.

Steven scowled, standing in front of the door with a displeased look on his face. When Greg entered, he froze, paling.

“Um… heya, kiddo!” He greeted. “What’re you doing up?”

Steven crossed his arms and walked over to the gems, hugging Garnet around the leg and giving his dad a look.

“You heard all that, huh…?” Greg winced. “... Listen, Steven, I’m just trying to protect you. The gems have been doing great so far, but tonight… I just-- I just can’t let you go on those missions anymore.”

Steven looked up at Garnet, hoping she would back him up now that she knew his feelings on the matter.

Garnet sighed and ruffled his hair. “Sorry, Steven, your father’s right.”

Steven’s face dropped. He tried to say ‘what!?’, and ended up coughing.

Garnet knelt down, holding his hands. “Listen to me, Steven. I understand you want to go on missions and help us out, but it **_is_** dangerous. We’ve been very lucky you haven’t gotten hurt so far. When Sapphire was on that ship, she used her future vision many times to try and see what would happen. There were many outcomes, some good, some bad. But tonight’s outcome was one of the worst. She immediately brushed it off, and… she should not have. _I_ should not have.”

She hugged him.

“I see so many things that can hurt you, and so often it never happens… but tonight, it did, and I  _ never _ want it to happen again. So you’re staying with your father until further notice.”

Steven whimpered, burying his face into her shoulder and trying not to cry.

“Hey, don’t be so sad…” Amethyst consoled, patting his head. “You can still visit, hopefully! And… maybe  _ one _ day, with  _ lots of protection _ , and  _ careful planning… _ we can take you somewhere?”

She glanced nervously towards Greg. Greg didn’t give her a reaction. Amethyst sighed and joined in on the hug. “It’ll be okay, little dude.”

Pearl leaned down and hugged him as well. “We’ll always be your family, Steven, no matter if you join us on missions or not.”

Garnet patted his back. “And you’ll  _ always _ be a Crystal Gem.”

Steven sobbed, the night’s events using his emotions as an escape. Everything that happened suddenly came crashing down as he wailed into his family’s arms. Greg watched on, feeling guilty now, and stood away from the group.

Eventually, Steven’s little body couldn’t handle anymore crying, and he passed out in his family’s arms, a tired boy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave comments i consume them for power


	4. Voicemail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie pays a visit to Steven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: idk shit about how to heal broken vocal chords lol

True to his father’s word, they went to the hospital the next day. Steven didn’t like all the doctors poking around at him, or making him go ‘ahh’, or putting stuff on him. Thankfully, he was allowed to take his favourite teddy bear, MC Bear Bear, which kept him calm. He ended up with a bandage around his neck, and some more on other bruised areas of his body. Eventually, they finished all their tests and examinations and finally came to Steven and his father with a diagnosis.

“It appears that your son’s vocal chords have undergone  _ severe _ trauma.” Said the doctor, looking at her clipboard. “They’re sore, overexerted, and burnt out. It’ll probably take six to eight months to heal fully...”

“Oh, no…” Greg mumbled. 

Steven paled.  _ Six to eight months!? That was forever!  _ He hugged MC Bear Bear tighter. 

“But the good news is he’ll definitely speak again. The vocal chords aren’t unusable.” The doctor reassured. “Just make sure you aren’t overusing or  _ under _ using them, okay, Steven? Try to speak a little bit every day, but don’t do it if it hurts too much. Eventually, those vocal exercises should pay off.”

She handed Greg a pamphlet. “This should detail what kinds of exercises would work best. Don’t start those until the chords are actually healed, though.” 

Greg nodded, holding the pamphlet tightly.

“Now, we should probably schedule another appointment a few months from now, to see how you’re doing.” She told Steven, then looked at Greg. “Sound good?”

“Yeah.” Greg said. “Sounds good.”

Steven whined and held his bear tighter as they talked it over, his mind running with possibilities. What if he did the exercises wrong, and couldn't ever speak again? What if he did them right and still couldn’t? Could he never talk? Did he have to carry a pen and paper everywhere?

Could he _ laugh _ ?

He shuddered and curled up.

“Steven?” The doctor tried gently, walking over to him and getting eye-level. “Is there anything you want to ask me?” She held out a pen and paper.

Steven took it and thought for a moment before writing down a few things.

‘ _ What happens if I do them wrong? Will I be able to sing again? Or laugh? I don’t want to carry pen and paper everywhere :(’ _

The doctor gave him a bittersweet look. 

“Steven, you’ll do fine. As long as you rest your vocal chords, you can speak again in no time, alright?”

Steven nodded, setting down the pen and paper.

\----

When he got home, Connie began to text him.   


_ ‘Hey, Steven! Do you mind if I come by later? I want to see you.’ _

Steven bit his lip, then texted back.  _ ‘Sure! But I won’t be able to talk ): Doctor says I can’t.’ _

_ ‘That’s fine, I just want to see you. Also ): sorry to hear that. See you soon?’ _

_ ‘See you soon <3’ _

A few minutes later, he heard a knock at his door. He got up, grabbing his pen and paper, and came to the door. She smiled at him, then immediately frowned as she took stock off all his bandages.  He shrank back a bit, lowering his head to cover his neck.

“...” Connie held his free hand. “I’m happy to see you, Steven.”

Steven looked up at her. He gave her a tired smile.

Connie smiled back. “Wanna go to the beach?”

Steven nodded. Without a word, Connie led him down to the sand, near the spot they first fused. The ocean lapped up against the beach, the sea foam's scent wafting through the air as seagulls cried. The hand ship wasn’t there anymore, moved to another location in the night while Steven was sleeping. Steven gazed out at the waves, finding peace with them.

Connie cleared her throat. “I, um, got you a present.”

Steven looked back at her, surprised. She blushed and brought out a butterfly hair clip. Pink: one of his favourite colours. 

“I thought it was cute. Sorry if it sucks.”

Steven gasped and shook his head, grabbing it and putting it in his hair. He smiled and looked at Connie. Connie giggled and brought out a blue butterfly hair clip, tucking it into her own hair.

“Now we match!”

Steven made an ‘o’ with his mouth then attempted to laugh, the sound halting and coming out instead as a few hoarse, low, barks. He recoiled in fear and then shut his mouth, the joy leaving him.

Connie frowned and scooted closer, holding his hand again. “It’s okay. E-even if you can’t laugh, I still love your smile.”

Steven blushed, glancing at her. She smiled at him sweetly, and he cautiously returned it. They shared a moment together, gazing at each other fondly.  


Eventually, Steven broke the gaze by picking up his pen and pad, writing something down.

‘ _ I’m glad you’re here. I wish I could talk to you, though. I gotta use this stupid pen and paper all the time now ):’ _

She read over it and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. And… um…” She twiddled her thumbs nervously, thinking it over before speaking again. “There might be another way to talk to me. Without using pen and paper or your words.”

Steven tilted his head.

“It’s called Sign Language.” She said. “I learned a few words in school so I could talk to my friends without disrupting the teacher… um, basically, you say things, but with your hands!”

She waved. “This is hello.”

She pointed to herself, pinched her shirt outwards, gestured towards Steven with an open palm and then pointed to his hair clip.

“I forgot the word for ‘butterfly’, and I don’t know ‘hairclip’, but I said ‘I like your hair clip.’”

Steven’s eyes sparkled. There was a way to speak… without the pen and paper? Or his words?

He teared up, beaming brightly and making a few excited noises while kicking his feet happily. She giggled and he made a few low hums that were supposed to be a laugh. He settled back down, trying hard not to squeal, and waved hello.

She waved back.

He flapped his arms happily and then wrote down: ‘ _ how do you say thank you?’ _

Connie thought for a moment before putting her hand to her chin and gesturing outwards. “Thank you.”

Steven copied her and hopped in place happily. She smiled.

“Y’know, I could try to teach you more sometime! Even though I don’t know many signs--”

He nodded vigorously, signing  _ thank you _ over and over again until he just exploded his hands outwards in joy and laid back in the sand, grinning. Connie laughed and kneeled by him, leaning down and cuddling him.

“I’m so happy you’re happy, Steven.”

Steven wanted to say ‘me, too’. He instead settled for hugging her back. His mind wandered, thinking of all the cool signs he could use to talk to people! Oh, man, it would be so much  _ easier _ !

But then he paled, realizing that…  _ nobody else knew sign _ .

He grabbed the pen and paper, scribbling out a hasty:  _ ‘Nobody else knows sign language! How am I going to talk to them?’ _

Underneath, as an afterthought, but something that had been on his mind all day:

_ ‘What if I can never talk again? Will you still be my friend? Even if i’m weird?’ _

Connie read it over and gasped, sitting up.

“Steven, of  _ course _ I’ll still be your friend! Even if you can’t talk ever again! And-- and that doesn’t make you weird, okay? It just makes you different.”

She smiled softly and cupped his cheek in her hand.  


“And you were already pretty different when I met you. I’m not gonna leave just because you can’t speak to me. You’re  _ always _ going to be my friend.”

Steven teared up, struggling not to cry out and damage his throat any worse than he already had. He reached out, and she complied, hugging him close in the sand. Even if they didn’t say anything to each other, they were still communicating. Steven could feel how much Connie meant what she said, how much she  _ cared _ for him, in her heartbeat and her gentle touches along his back. Likewise, she felt just how grateful he was to her, and how much he  _ loved _ her in his tight embrace, how he formed himself around her so tightly it was like they were one.

And then they were.

Stevonnie smiled, hugging themselves and turning towards the waves, watching them while their counterparts spoke to each other subconsciously. Through Stevonnie, they showed they would support each other through thick and thin. 

They laid back, staring up at the beautiful blue sky, listening to the wonderful waves, and feeling the sand beneath their body.

They smiled, bringing their hand to their chin and extending it outwards.

_ Thank you _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the end of SB's story! Hope y'all enjoyed. 
> 
> leave a comment please i consume them for power

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment, they make me very happy and motivate me to keep up the content.


End file.
